Watering device for laying cages



Aug. 7. 1 0- J. B. OLSON Er AL 2,212,549

WATERING DEVICE FOR LAYING CAGES Filed Dec. 23, 1957 2 SheetsrSheet 1 FIG. I

INVENTOPS JOHN B. OLSON GEORGE TM/IRKEY ATTORNEY 27, 4 J. B. OLSON EfA 2,212,549

WATERING DEVICE FOR LAYING CAGES Filed Dec. 23, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fla. 6

nvg/E/v TOPS Jam 5. OLJ /v 650/20: TMARKEY B) A7 TORNEY Patented Aug. 27, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WATERING DEVICE FOR LAYING GAGES pany of Wisconsin Application December 23, 1937, Serial No. 181,362

5 Claims.

The present invention refers to laying cages wherein individual compartments are furnished for the laying hens.

An object of the present invention is to provide efficient means for watering the individual hens, the means provided being especially de signed to thereby offer maximum sanitary conditions and convenient'means for cleaning the device.

In conventional waterers it is customary to supply troughs in one form or another. Laying cages are assembled in batteries having from 12 to 36 or more individual compartments for a like number of hens. These batteries are usually assembled three compartments high and two compartments wide. Thus it will be seen that the complete assembly may have considerable length; therefore we provide suitable tubes which preferably extend through the assembly and have openings in their tops, preferably one for each compartment. y

In order to thoroughly clean and disinfect a conventional trough when positioned within the battery, it is necessary to remove the trough from the battery. In the present invention, we therefore provide watering tubes which extend through the battery and have cut-away portions in their tops which are only large enough and positioned to thereby serve one compartment; thus we provide tubes which may be cleaned for their length without being removed from the battery, by means of a brush secured to the end of a handle, the brush being largerin diameter than the inside diameter of the tube and longer than the cut-away portion, whereby it will be held in close contact with the inner surface of the tube while passing an opening.

In laying cages of the class, the tube may be in one piece or in suitably connected lengths, the ends projecting a short distance from the cage assembly; thus the tube may be conveniently cleaned from the exterior of the cage, the tubes being preferably positioned on the same vertical plane as the center partitions and forming prefcrably a part thereof.

'An object of the present invention is to provide convenient means for access to the tube from either end, consisting preferably of large cork or rubber stoppers which are easily removed and replaced and to provide an eccentric outlet in one of the stoppers whereby the turning of the stopper may be used to regulate the height of the water in the tube.

Another object of the present invention is to supply an extra cut-away portion which is positioned just outside the cage whereby fresh water may be'directed into the tube and the flow observed by the operator either at this inlet or at the overflow.

To these and other useful ends our invention consists of parts, combinations of parts or their equivalents and mode of operation as hereinafter described and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a 24 compartment laying cage equipped with our invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on a line directly in rear of the partition between compartments and in front of partitions and I3.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fractional elevation of our watering tube showing the manner of securing the tubes to the transverse walls of the battery. I

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of afraction of the watering tube illustrating the preferred form of cleaning brush.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the tube taken on lines 5-5 of Figure 3 and illustrating its fastening.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section of a fraction of two compartments illustrating the partition which separates the two compartments above the watering tube.

As thus illustrated, the watering tubes are designated by reference numeral l0, each having cut-away portions l I which are preferably spaced as illustrated in Figure 6; Partitions l2 are positioned directly under the watering tube and partitions 13 are positioned at an angle above the tubes. thus to separate compartments A and B whereby the bird in compartment A will have access to one only of the cut-away portions II and the bird in compartment B will have access to another of the cut-away portions as clearly indicated in Figure 6.

It will be seen that the birds, in view of partition I3 and the spacing of openings H, cannot even annoy each other while drinking. They are not only separated by the partition but are also a distance away from the partition while drinking. In other. words, the birds are separated a distance while drinking. When they are drink ing, unless avery small hole is provided in; the tube, they plunge their beaks down deep into the water filling their nostrils, then they raise their heads and throw water in every direction. From a sanitary standpoint this distance between birds while drinking is of considerable value particularly since the birds are separated by spaced wires.

Partitions I2 and I3 are preferably made of coarse wire netting or the like. and transverse partitions are preferably made of similar material.

The batteries are preferably formed in units of 2 rows of six compartments each (see Figure 1). In Figure 1 the leftrows of compartments are each designated by reference character A and the right rows of compartments are designated by reference character B.

It will be seen that the battery may be made up into any number of bottom compartments and an equal number of top compartments or three tiers'of rows may be positioned one over the other.

It will be observed that we provide a floor for each compartment consisting of parallel wires- !5 (see Figures 2 and 6), the wires extending.

slightly downward from the center of the rows of compartments. These wires extend through the side walls of the compartments terminating in a curved portion as at l'l (see Figure 2).

We provide an opening in the end wall 22 of each compartment which extends preferably from the top of the feed trough l9 as at 23 to floor IS. A door I8 is hinged at its top to the wall 22 of the compartment at 23 and is bent inwardly midway its width and adapted to lie normally in the position shown in Figure 2, the bottom edge being far enough above the floor IE to permit the eggs to roll under this door and to trough 11. Thus it will be seen that when trough i9 is removed, door it! may be turned inwardly and upwardly so as to make room enough for removing the birds and when the door is in its downward position, the bottom edge extends far enough inward to direct droppings into pan 20.

It will be noted that doors I8 are hingedly mounted to the bottom edge of walls 22. Troughs iii are removably secured preferably on these hinges. Door [8 is held normally in the position shown in Figure 2 by means of stops (not shown).

Thus we have briefly described the structural features of our laying cages to which the present.

. manner of securing the watering tube to the partition walls, and to the end walls of the battery of cages.

One end of the tube as illustrated is closed by means of stopper 30 having a short pipe 3! eccentrically positioned therein (see Figures 3 and 5). is in its highest position thus water may flow in the water tube until it reaches the bottom of member 3| from whence it will drip into a drip trough 32. These drip troughs extend to a suitable vertical drain pipe or tube provided for the purpose.

On the right of Figure'3 it will be noted that we provide a cut-away portion it which is positioned outside the assembly. We provide a water connection 33 having needle valves 34-34 from which tubes 35 extend, the inner ends being bent The outer walls In Figure 5 the stopper is turned so tube 3! downwardly as at 38; thus valves 34 may be opened so as to supply suflicient water for the birds and preferably a slight excess so there is a continuous overflow of the water at pipe 8!.

Clearly it will be an easy matter for the operator to adjust valve 34 for exactly the proper amount of flow into tube l0 because the outlet to tube 35 is exposed to view and the outlet end of tube 3! is also exposed to view. 1

The inlet end of tube In is provided with a stopper 3?. Assuming that the operator wishes to clean tube i0, he may close valve 34 and remove the stoppers in the proper order, thus to drain all of the water from the tube into trough '32. We provide a. brush 38, which is secured to handle 39, which may be forced through the tube so as to thoroughly clean the tube. During this operation, a small quantity of water may be permitted to flow through tube ill and after the cleaning operationif desired, stopper 31 may be replaced and some water permitted to flow through the tube directly into trough 32. Brush 38 as illustrated is somewhat larger in diameter than the inside diameter of the tube and it is longer than the length of openings H; thus the brush will snugly contact all of the tube surface while passing the opening and, clearly the bristles of the brush will be caused to wipe clean the edges of openings ll.

Thus clearly, tube Ill may be cleaned by means of brush 38 and the flow of water through the tube may be conveniently and easily regulated from the exterior of the assembly.

In Figure 1 I illustrate a droppings pan scraper 5|] on the forward end of the lower droppings pan. This scraper is adapted to move back and forth on the pans and move the droppings to the end of the pan or cause them to fall into a receptacle provided for the purpose. The general custom is to provide a, shaft having cylinders 5| at each end of the battery. A cable is attached to'these cylinders and to the scraper 50 so the scraper may be pulled in either direction by winding the cable on one cylinder and permitting it to unwind from the other. This method of scraping the droppings pans is too well known to require further description.

Having thus shown and described our inven-' tion we claim:

1. Ina device of the class described, comprising a number of individual compartments in a row, a tube exposed to the interior of said compartments having cut-away portions in its top, a threadless plug inserted in one end of said tube having an eccentric outlet whereby the plug may be turned in the tube for regulating the water level and a threadless plug inserted in the other end of said tube, and means for supplying water into the tube at said other end, whereby the water will flow through said tube and overflow at said outlet. 7

2. A laying battery of the class described, comprising an elongated inclosure having spaced transverse partitions forming a number of compartments, a watering tube extending through each of said compartments midway its width and height, the portion of the watering tube within each compartment having two spaced openings cut in the top thereof, partition members positioned above and below said tube cooperating therewith to form two separate cages fromeach compartment, the partition members above the tube being shaped and positioned to thereby expose one of said openings only to each individual cage, said tube having removable closures on opposite ends, one of said closures being rotatably mounted and having an outlet therein, said outlet being positioned eccentrically whereby the closure may be turned to thereby regulate the height of said outlet, and means at the opposite end of said tube from said outlet for supplying water to said tube.

3. A device of the class described, comprising an elongated inclosure having spaced transverse partitions forming a number of compartments, a watering tube extending through said compartments' midway their width" and height and having within each compartment two spaced openings cut in the top thereof, partition members positioned above and below said tube co-.

operating therewith to form two separate cages from each compartment, the partition members above the tube being shaped and positioned to thereby expose one opening only to each individual cage, said watering tube being closed at each end by means of a threadless plug, one plug having an eccentrically positioned outlet whereby the water level in the tube may be regulated by turning the plug, and means for supplying water to the other end of said tube.

4. A device of the class described, comprising an inclosure, a watering tube extending through said inclosure midway its width and height, two spaced openings cut in the top of said watering tube and within said inclosure, and partition members positioned above and below said tube cooperating therewith to form two separate cages of said inclosure, the partition member above the tube being shaped and positioned to thereby expose one opening only to each cage.

5. A device of the class described, comprising an inclosure, a watering tube extending through said inclosure midway its width and height,

spaced openings cut in the top of said waterin tube and within said inclosure, and partition members positioned above and below said tube cooperating therewith to form two separate cages of said inclosure, the partition member above the tube being shaped and positioned to thereby expose separate openings to each cage, said tube having removable closures at opposite ends, one of said closures being free to be turned and having an eccentrically positioned outlet whereby the water level in the tube may be regulated and means at the other end of the tube for supplying water thereto.

JOHN B. OLSON. I

GEORGE T. MARKEY. 

